Automobile license plate



Aug. 1o, 1943. w, H, RITCHIE 2,326,566 L.

AUTOMOBILE LICENSE PLATE Filed. Oct. 2, 1941 INVENTOR Patented Aug. 1), 1943 AUTOMOBILE LICENSEPILJATE j l William H. Ritchie, Chicago, lll assignor of o e- I half to Jessie H, Ritchie, Pittsburgh,Pa. Application October-2, 1941, SerialNo. 413,343

1 Claim. My invention relatesto licenseplates and tags,

particularly to the license plates of automobiles. 1

In certain States the practice exists of employing a compound license plate.v The main body of'the plate bears the license number, and an auxiliary body, carried by the main body, bears particular indicia, ordinarily the number of the year. From year to-year the main plate continues in use, and the subsidiary plate is replaced, to indicate the fact of renewal of license. It is manifest that, while the number thatthe main plate bearsvis a distinctive number, the date that the auxiliary plate bears has nothingdistinctive about it. In such circumstances lies the opportunity of fraudulentexchange of the auxiliary plate, and of evasion of tection. ,1

In order to prevent suchfraudulent exchange of the auxiliar plate, the use of seals ha been proposed, after the manner that seals are used on voting machines and on railway-cars. In aclicense law without deporting bracket; and

FigureIII is aview of used in-the assembly; I W

Figure IV' is a, view.;,in front elevation of the assembly of license plateand seal uponthe suptaken on thegplane V V ofFlgllre IV. H v

I The bracket that supports the license plate P is, as shown in Figure I, of conventional form, includinga basal portion Ithatisrigidlysecured to the mud-guard, or tail-light housing,- or other convenient of an; automobile body,g The basal portion I provides .a rigid foot for av telescopic leg 2,' upon the upper end of which leg a rigid cross ar n sis secured. The cross arm-is rovided atit opposite ends with the usual horizontally alignedslots' i and 5 for the reception Figure V is a sectionalview of th assembly,

of plate-securingbolts or screws, and the basal portion'l includes a notch Ill, to receivethe lower cordance with one of such proposals slots are rovided in the bodies of the main and auxiliary plates, and the ribbon-like metal body of a sea-1 i threaded through such slots and the plates laced together. The ends of the ribbon of metal are brought together and sealed. When once the ribbon of metal has been brought to position and its ends sealed, it can be removed only by its own destruction, and thus the subsidiaryrplate can not be fraudulently transferred from one plate to another.

My invention consists in certain, refinements in the structure and organization of suchaseal in a license plate installation. First, the ribbonlike body of the seal is adapted to serve as the" auxiliary, indicia-bearing member of the compound license plate. Second, the indicia-bearing seal provides a tamper-proof attachment of the license plate to the bracket on which the plate is mounted on an automobile. Third, the structure of the plate and the organization of theseal are such that no modification is required in the form of the plate-supporting bracket now in use on motor vehicles. More particularly, the invention consists in structural refinements, by virtue of which all three of these advantages are enjoyed.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure I is a view in front elevation of a typical license-plate-supporting bracket;

Figure II is a View of the face of a license-plate that has been structurally adapted for the assembly of the invention;

edgeof the plate, as will presentlyappear.

The license 'plate P may; with the'refinement hereinafter describedbe of common'and well known form, consisting inarectangular body of sheet metal, embossed'and' painted, withthe distinctive 'indicium I (the license number) and the legend N and map M "of the licensor State displayed in relief and contrasting color. In accordance with usual practice four bolt holes 6 arelprovided' in the platefalthough onlyf the up per two are ordinarily used.

v Preferably, I formthe plate of sheet aImninu'm,

plate, otherwise coated with paint of suitable color, the areas that form and, with the body Of the c the faces of thecharactersland N andthe' bor-f I der B of the ma'p'are lefte'xposedi In these areas the bright, no-n-corrosive'metalli'c surface of the aluminum sheet provides the desired color contrast with the painted areas of the plate, and, additionally, serves to reflect light in such mane her that the indicia borne by the plate are more readily discernable. -A'mor detailed description of this preferred form of plate will be found in United States Letters Patent No. 2,182,919; granted December 12, 1939 to Arthur S; Hainsworth.

In the mounting of the license plate upon the,

supporting bracket, the leg 2 of the bracket is telescopically adjusted and secured (by means of I screw 20) in such position that, when the license plate is positioned with its lower edge in slot, H1

in the basal portion l of the bracket (of. Figures IV and V), the two upper bolt holes 6 in the plate are vertically centered with the slots 4 and 5 in'the bracket arm 3. Then the plate is, by means of bolts 1 and 19, secured to the bracket arm, such being the installation as hitherto made.

thelindiciabearingseal At variance with such prior practice, I provide 7 the bolt 1 is inserted in the openings 5 and 6, and

the'nut la (Figure V) applied and tightened. Thus, removal of the license plate from the bracket and fraudulent exchange of the datebearing member of the assembly can not be accomplished without destructionof the seal.

While the indicium I is shown on the wall of the lock casing 80, I have in mind such indicium maybe. also; or alternately carried by the ribbonlike bodyt'oi the sealing (fevit'e.

It will be perceived that the seal-receiving slots 51) and 60 consist, actually, in lateral enlargeofthe ribbon may be of various known forms. A

medallion of lead of the sort long used in uniting .the ends of a looped wire seal will serlve nltery nately, and as shown in this pase, the ribbon 8 is provided at one end with a triangular air-gm; cut

,mentsoii tyvp of the bolt holes 6 already provided in thestandard license plate, so that in the practi ce of my invention no other perforation of the 1 plate is requiredthan is customary. Alternately,

the slots 59 and 60 may be omitted, and the "ribbon-lik body "of the seal threaded through on two sides of the triangle from the body of the ribbon, and bent on the uncut side A angle fro'xn the plane or the ribbon. At its oppos i te end. the ribbon carries intgrally a small gasingfiu that includes a lo'ck 'adapted to receive the free endbf' -the ribbon and engage thetai'ifg'fll.

The lock within the casing 80' is'no't showfijit is a known st uc pre ;anupartmmar consideration of it is not essential; to an understanding army invention. "iniqed, the 'se alin'g device a, to,- a itsfentiretya substantial duplication 'of'a form of fre'ightcar seal now'used by thenmerican railroads: I i 1;

jljhe sealinfgidevice carries such an indiciu'rn' as the number or t g n e-mutate upon it; and in th" case the indicium is borne by the wall of the '0 he 30. ('Nqte tlige'reference character?- in 115,1? bi tli ld ew s-i. .T 'l ns'e lieie ic i trries the dislti nctivelndicium I the license nl r thelr pc ltr es t i ll e fe th r for." h c he liqens i fiec i si. '0

gether ithe plate, and th ribbon carry the iegauy equ red isnlayp 'l c i ata; r. 'llo'thleenils in view th'elicenseplate is ided w htw'p t m l tp ceda a t 9 and. ;In mou 11 1 the plate fore th et 'arm and, ca

ixiiiiltf fi is' tj. l .t have been permanently locked or sealed together,

of the I tritwo oi the spaced-apart bolt holes 6. In either case the bolt 1, tightened in place, engages the ribbonilike body-B 6i i the ?seal, "and assists in securing the :sealin. installed position. It is 1 plate; term bracket and said plate' aifdi through s further important to note that, in sealing the 'riiate to the'lor'acketji utilize the *slot'5 a strutsupportin bfa'ck'et's"6i automobiles.

- While I have described aluminum "as the ntei'ried' materialbf whicht'o'cbnstiuctthe plat'e'l, I contemp ate for'r'rii'ri'gthe "plate "of plafstlc mu- 'terial', say u ea ormaldeh de, inc lhdirfga suitcontrast with the color or the ihii'c ia women to thef'ace or "th plate.

'1 train as invention;

An autom bile license plate assembly compris- "ort'ihg breakage-trim 'la beagring To dies for both said biaejkFanusaid frontal, aboltDr'oieciEed'i mal et t heperi'oi s and ti;elitefleliito secure t plate "0 the bi cket, said "plate including "aisecond 7 mental indicia visibl on the n' dfltdr tiie bijm 

